Towards understanding the Diversity and Zoogeography of the South African Bryozoa

From:
February 27, 2013
To:
February 27, 2013

Image of a bryozoan. Photograph by Dr. Wayne Florence

Towards understanding the Diversity and Zoogeography of the South African Bryozoa, and the journey that led me here…
Melissa Boonzaaier, PhD candidate

From large sea turtles and tiny little marine worms, this NRF, Professional Development Programme, PhD research project investigates even smaller marine animals called bryozoans. Join Melissa Boonzaaier as she delves into the lives of little known but economically and ecologically important marine critters. In this talk she highlights her previous work on charismatic sea turtles occurring on the reefs of the east coast, her economically important research on polychaetes that bore into the shells of abalone (perlemoen) on the south coast and her current PhD which investigates the taxonomy, diversity and zoogeography of deep-water bryozoans from the west coast of South Africa.